The Stream: Who needs another hokey musical biopic?

The Big Screen: Kate Hudson shines.

The Final Bill: An emotional, remarkable story and Kate Hudson’s performance overcome the pitfalls of cliched biopic.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Craig Brewer
Writers: Craig Brewer based on a documentary by Greg Kohs
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Ella Anderson, Hudson Hensley, King Princess, Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Rating: PG-13 for thematic material, some strong language, some sexual material and brief drug use.
Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
Production Companies: Focus Features, Davis Entertainment
Platform: In theaters December 25, 2025
Notable Trailers: Wuthering Heights, Disclosure Day, Supergirl, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

What’s up, Streamers! Awards season is in full swing, so there are movies that have carried over from 2025 that we’re catching up on. Kate Hudson has grabbed some Best Actress nominations for her performance in Song Sung Blue, so I was in the theater recently humming along to “Sweet Caroline,” just to see what all the fuzz was about. Yes, Song Sung Blue retells the story of an inexplicably popular Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning and Thunder, and their rocky road through success and setbacks. Hugh Jackman plays Mike “Lightning” Sardina who meets the plucky and charming, Claire (Kate Hudson), at celebrity impersonation showcase at the Wisconsin State Fair. They develop a musical partnership as a Neil Diamond tribute band when Claire becomes “Thunder” to Mike’s “Lightning”. Love, marriage, and bah bah bah hijinks ensue.

Song Sung Blue looks like the run-of-the-mill musical biopic. In fact, it has a lot of the ups and downs that these typical biopics have. The timeline is ridiculously condensed to make some of the successes of Mike and Claire seem quite unbelievable. The 1980s/1990s aesthetic doesn’t look impressive and makes some of these scenes look cheap and lame. Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be? However, Mike and Claire’s story is interesting. You will not believe the various things that happen to their family, which really pulls you in. My jaw was wide open at certain plot points, and there were some very emotional moments that I didn’t expect. I just can’t shake that this is a movie about a Neil Diamond tribute band, so yeah…

Anyway, Kate Hudson is really good in her role. She gets to sing and be charming at times. She also gets to be dramatic and emotional. It works in both ways and enhances the life affirming theme of the movie. Hudson also has pretty good chemistry with Hugh Jackman. Jackman, unfortunately, leans more into his showman persona than getting the dramatics of Mike. Nevertheless, I cared about what was going to happen to these people and that’s a testament to the performances of both Hudson and Jackman even when the dialogue wasn’t good and the story seemed ridiculous.

Ultimately, Song Sung Blue has an emotional and surprising true-life story that is worth telling. Too bad, it is wrapped up in lame, cliched musical biopic tropes. The cast is generally good with Kate Hudson doing her best work in years. Plus, if you are Neil Diamond fan, then you have a good soundtrack to listen to. Grab a bowl of popcorn for a Sunday matinee trip to the theater.